Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT(Naval Aide) 185 W OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 March 23, 1951 State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 By DEB NLT, Date 9-1-8 TOP SECRE T SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS FOUR-POWER - The British delegate held a small EXPLORATORY TALKS luncheon at the British Embassy yester - day for two members of each of the four delegations. In an informal discussion after lunch the three western representatives made it very plain to Gromyko that we could not accepthis present wording for the German demilitarization item, or the reduction of armaments item, or any other wording which would appear to reflect the Soviet position as against that of the West, and that we could not accept German demilitarization as a separate item. Gromyko in turn made plain that his present instructions were definite on the necessity for including the German demilitarization point as a separate agenda item. He did, however, for the first time indicate that it might appear as item 2 rather than item 1, as he had heretofore insisted. Gromyko kept asking whether or not the western powers had any new proposals to make, and although he was told there were none, Ambassador Jessup distinctly received the impression that Gromyko believed from the attitude of Davies and Parodi that some new proposals might be forthcoming. They both hinted at a possible separate sub-heading on German demilitarization under item 1. No regular session was held yesterday, but the delegates will meet today in a restricted session without press briefings to continue the informal discussion begun at yesterday's luncheon. MEDITERRANEAN Assistant Secretary Perkins discussed the DEFENSE French reaction to the US-UK Malta talks yesterday with Admiral Sherman, Lord Tedder and British Charge Steel. We informed the British that we intend to tell M. Schuman what the purpose of the Malta meeting was and to propose a three-power - talk in Washington in the near future between the US, UK and French. At this meeting the general conclusions reached at Malta would be outlined and there would be a discussion of the relationship of the Mediter - ranean area to the Eisenhower command and to the British Middle East IOP E